What 'flexible working' actually means in a job advert (and the red flags to watch)

"Flexible working" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in UK job adverts right now. Sometimes it means genuine freedom. Sometimes it means a free-for-all where you're expected to be reachable at all hours.

Green flags

• Named core hours (like 10am–2pm)
• "Async-first" culture
• Outcomes-based language
• Job adverts that mention school runs or caring responsibilities without prompting

Red flags

• "Flexibility for the right candidate" — translation: negotiate it yourself
• "Fast-paced environment" paired with "flexible" — translation: always on
• No mention of core hours anywhere

Every job on the Remote ReadHER board is checked against these criteria before it's listed — so you can apply knowing the flexibility is real.